A Gunbai (軍配; Literally meaning "army arrangement") or gunbai uchiwa (軍配団扇; Literally meaning "army arrangement fan") is a non-folding fan, usually made of wood. It was used in ancient Japan by samurai officers to communicate with their troops. Nowadays, it is used by referees of professional sumō matches.

Madara and Obito have been seen wielding large gunbai with the same features. It is a wide fan with tomoe on it and has a long handle with bandages wrapped around the base, as well as having a long chain attached to it. In the past, when Madara used it, it was depicted as being brown with red tomoe and this chain was attached to the handle that appears to have been connected to his kama,[1][2][3] whereas when Obito uses it, the chain appears to enter his sleeve.[4]

When Obito started using it, it was depicted as having a purple tint with a black border and tomoe design on it. He wields the gunbai predominantly like a flail using the chain attached to guide the fan which he can use as a shield because of its durability, and was able to block Naruto's Super Mini-Tailed Beast Ball without receiving any noticeable damage.[5] During the Third Shinobi World War it was seen hanging on a wall inside the caverns of the Mountains' Graveyard[6] and later during the Fourth Shinobi World War, Obito returned the fan to Madara, stating that it was in fact Madara's in the first place.[7]